For Everything A Reason
by matlinsisters
Summary: What if Eli Goldsworthy had spoken the words "You have pretty eyes." to someone else entirely? How would it have changed Degrassi as we now know it? !TRIGGER WARNING: bullying, homophobia, self harm are all included in this story! Dreli, Kenna, Cladam, and Kianca are the featured pairings.
1. New School, Same Punishments

**A/N: Well, this is it, the first chapter of For Everything A Reason. I hope you all will enjoy it, read it, and keep up with it because I know I am going to have a blast writing it. There is a lot in store for this and the best part? It's going to be extra long and broken up into volumes. This is the beginning of volume one. Also, a few things will be different in this story like the fact that Adam only exists as Gracie right now. This is before Adam came out to anyone other than Drew as trans* and therefore, he's still living as Gracie. This is set at the very beginning of season 10!  
**

* * *

The bell rang loudly in the various class rooms of Degrassi Community School. Drew Torres, one of the new students that had come to the school to begin his sophomore year, got up from his desk and grabbed his books before shoving them into his bag. As he walked out into the hall, towards his locker, he noticed several students were at a complete standstill amidst the busy halls. "What the heck is going on down there?" He asked himself, trying to see over the other students that had crowded around near his locker.

Drew managed to shove past them as he overheard one of the boys slam the other against a set of lockers. "Did you think I would let you get away with punching me, faggot?" The taller, auburn haired boy shouted at the smaller guy leaning against the blue lockers. Watching as the smaller boy was punched in the gut again was the last straw for Drew. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, his hands growing ice cold as the anger and adrenaline set in.

"Come on, get up you little fruitcake. I dare you," The taller boy exclaimed.

"Yeah, kick his ass - Fitz - but not too hard. He might enjoy it," A muscular brown haired, blue eyed boy called out from the crowd before laughing loudly as he watched this Fitz guy pounding on some smaller kid.

"Hey! That's enough," Drew exclaimed, tossing his book bag down next to his locker as he shoved past a couple of students to break up the fight. However, Fitz had already hit the guy again busting open one of his lips. A second hard punch to the side of the face left Drew's eye bruised, which immediately made him wince. The pain was enough to make him want to give up but he refused.

Drew grabbed the guy from behind, as the guy turned to face him Drew balled up his fist then hit him as hard as he could with a right hook, only to be pulled back by the guy's friend. "Oh it looks like the little fag here has a boyfriend, everyone!" The more muscular boy exclaimed, Drew narrowed his eyes then punched the guy holding him as hard as he could to knock him down as the smaller guy went after Fitz again.

"Alright, break it up! Everyone in the halls - get to where you're supposed to be - as for the four of you, you're going straight to the office. Pronto!" Mr. Simpson exclaimed, grabbing hold of Fitz and Drew by their shirt collars as the others followed behind to the office.

* * *

"So, tell me again just what you all were thinking when you came up with the brilliant idea that fighting was going to solve everything?" Mr. Simpson exclaimed angrily, he was getting tired of the nonsense beginning with all the fighting that had taken place since the year before, and now there was already a fight taking place on the first day. "Fighting on the first day of school - especially for those of you that are new here," Mr. Simpson turned to look Drew in the eyes, "is one of the dumbest things you can do and the best way to get on a list of students that will potentially get kicked out." Simpson continued in his lecture.

"Since I do not have time to sit here and lecture the four of you all day I will give you each your punishments and send you on your way," The principal stated, furrowing his brow as he got out the pink detention slip pad and a pen.

"Wait, hold on, before you do that these two jerks sitting next to me were bullying that kid over there. I jumped in to stop this - Fitz guy here from hurting him any more than he had. He was calling him a fag and stuff, too, and I wanted him to shut his mouth but then that one next to him decided to interfere," Drew said as he pointed to the more muscular, blue eyed guy next to him with the diamond studs in his ears.

"Mark, Owen, is that true?" Mr. Simpson questioned as he filled out the pink pad, pulling off two slips of paper before reaching down into the desk. Little did Fitz and Owen realize, Mr. Simpson's brother was gay and he wasn't about to tolerate someone using vulgar hate filled language against another student that may be gay.

"Squealer over here needs to shut his damn mouth." Owen stated just loud enough for the principal to hear him, which lead Simpson to stare him right in the eyes. "Snitches get stitches, asshole," Owen whispered as he leaned in to whisper in to Drew's ear. Drew furrowed his brow in reaction to the words, he most certainly wasn't afraid of these two guys.

"Are you finished, Owen?" He questioned, Owen then grew quiet as he looked out the window in Mr. Simpson's office, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now, Andrew Torres and Elijah Goldsworthy - you're both getting three days of after school detention for fighting. As for Owen Milligan and Mark Fitzgerald, the two of you have five days of out of school suspension followed by five days of detention during school. If the two of you act up again after this; you could be expelled so stay out of trouble," Simpson stated handing the boys their blue slips. He then handed Drew and Eli the pink slips and told them to go straight to detention, after calling their parents to inform them they would need to be picked up later than usual.

Drew couldn't believe it, he was actually going to detention on the first day of school for fighting and his step-mother had to be notified. She was so difficult on him as it was so he knew he was in for being grounded for a month. No matter what the reason was for fighting. Plus she was a member of the PTA and the school board; that only meant that the school would be watching over Drew and his sister Gracie like a hawk.

* * *

Later that afternoon, once detention had started Drew pulled out one of his notebooks and began to do his homework. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of how to do the math problems on his worksheet. However, once he started to work on his worksheet he quickly realized that the Eli kid he helped out earlier was looking at him. The other boy looked away rather quickly once he realized Drew was looking back at him. "Uh, are you any good with math? I kind of suck at it and I need help," Drew spoke up, hoping that the other would help him.

"Why did you decide to help me?" Eli questioned, his eyes narrowing as he looked bitterly back into Drew's soft baby blue hues. Drew looked away quickly, his fingers tapped at the wooden top of his desk. "Answer my question. Why did you decide to help me?" the other demanded, throwing Drew off-guard for a moment. Drew sighed softly before turning back to face the other guy. He grabbed his book then walked to the seat next to Eli, as he sat his stuff down he thought about how he would answer Eli's question.

"I can't tell you that," Drew replied honestly. He knew what would happen if Eli knew what Gracie had told him over the summer. However, he knew that alone was his reason for defending this guy. It was worth the black eye and the busted lip, for sure. "There's a reason but I can't tell anyone that reason. It would break the person's confidence and my promise to them," Drew added, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he spoke.

"Alright," Eli responded nonchalantly, his green eyes looking up at the clock. They still had fifteen minutes of sitting in the detention room with one another until it was time to leave. "It sucks that you can't tell me your reasoning for jumping those guys just to defend me but - uh - thanks, I guess?" he added, his eyes glancing down at the worksheet in front of him. After that, Eli grew completely silent so that he could work on his health sheet.

Drew took the hint and decided to do his work later on that evening; assuming he would be grounded anyway for getting into so much trouble on his first day. Time passed by slowly in the silent classroom but soon enough the two boys were ready to leave. "Alright, you both can go now!" Ms. Oh stated as she poked her head in the door to give the boys permission to leave. Drew nodded his head, grabbing his stuff then shoving it in his bag as he walked out of the classroom followed by Eli.

"So, are you one of those football player types or something?" Eli asked, smirking as he spoke once he caught up to the older Torres. Drew nodded quickly.

"I was thinking about trying out but now - I don't think I'll be able to play for the team so, I guess I could give it a shot next year." Drew spoke softly, he hated that he would have to put off playing football for a whole year - seeing as how that was his favorite sport. "Oh well, I guess I can use my time to improve my skills then maybe I can become QB one," Drew continued. Eli nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I had a feeling you were some sort of jock." Eli commented, laughing quietly as the two walked through the halls together. "You have that look about you, I guess you could say." Eli added, glancing over to Drew as the two walked down the almost completely silent hallway; Drew was dressed in a plaid long sleeve blue button up with a white t-shirt underneath, khaki cargo shorts, and sneakers. He was definitely one of those preppy jock boys and all Eli could think was how typical this guy was.

* * *

As Gracie stood outside, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched from both directions trying to figure out if her mother was ever going to show up, or if her step-dad would be the one picking up her and Drew. She was already annoyed, seeing as how she had to stay after school as long as Drew though she wasn't being punished. At least she had tried to behave herself, right? The thin, pale blue eyed girl moved to sit down on the step in front of the school as she looked out into the parking lot, thinking that her parents would arrive at any moment. "Could they be more slow?" She questioned out loud, grabbing the attention of a curly haired girl standing a short distance behind her.

"Excuse me!" A kind yet soft voice greeted Gracie from behind, causing her to turn her attention towards the other person. She looked behind her and saw an icy blue eyed, curly-haired brunette standing next to her. "Mind if I wait with you? You are waiting for a ride home, right?" She added, Gracie nodded her head with a small smile.

"Yeah, my brother got into trouble earlier today and so I've had to wait for him to get out of detention so our parents could pick us up. Who are you?" Gracie answered, furrowing her brow a bit because the other girl looked very familiar.

"I'm Clare Edwards." the other girl greeted before realizing where she had seen the other girl before, "You're the new girl in biology with me, right? Second period?" Clare asked.

"That's me! If you're in Mr. Betenkamp's class and I'm pretty sure you are," Gracie responded, Clare beamed then shook her head 'yes' as a reply.

"Yeah, I am in his class. Where did you move from?" Clare questioned again, her tone laced with curiosity as she spoke.

"Ann Arbor, Michigan." Gracie stated.

* * *

Seconds later, Drew and Eli walked out the doors of the school. Drew didn't even bother to speak to Gracie since he was following Eli out to the picnic tables to sit and wait on either one of his parents to arrive. The older Torres sighed heavily as he thought about the lecture he would be listening to on the ride home and once he got home, as well. "How much trouble do you think I will be in?" Drew questioned, giving his friend a look before smirking at the other boy.

"I...don't know but I probably won't be in trouble at all when I get home. Hopefully your parents will cut you some slack since you defended me when I was being pounded on by Fitz," Eli replied, Drew looked down at the table as he twiddled his thumbs. He was starting to get nervous because he knew just how much of a mama bear his step-mother could be.

"I bet I will be grounded for the next six weeks," Drew spoke softly, he was mostly thinking out loud when he spoke the words but he knew Eli had heard him since he was making a face. "What's with the expression?" he asked.

"It's not right for you to be punished like you were the bully here. You weren't. I guess your mom is one of those tiger mom types, eh?" Eli replied.

"Yeah. Definitely," Drew admitted with a nod, his crystal blue hues locking with Eli's jade green orbs. That's when Eli realized this boy he had been talking to had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. How did he not realize that sooner?

Drew snapped out of his daze when Audra pulled up behind him in the parking lot inside the silver Dodge van she had been driving since the family moved. "ANDREW TORRES! Get in this van, right now!" Audra exclaimed angrily as Gracie climbed into the back of the van to get buckled in.

"I've gotta go," Drew stated, cringing as his step-mother yelled for a second time as she honked her horn. "See you tomorrow," Drew added, however his friend was still in somewhat of a daze himself.

"You know - you have pretty eyes," Eli thought out loud and it then hit him that he had just uttered the words. Drew raised his eyebrows, the comment threw him off guard and now was not the time to try to think of a reply.

"ANDREW! RIGHT NOW!" Audra yelled.

"I'll see you later okay?" Drew stated, his words slightly rushed as he turned to walk to the car.

"I hope so," Eli muttered under his breath as he watched Drew walk off.

Drew got in then buckled himself up in the backseat. The whole ride home, all Drew could think about was the fact that Eli had said he had pretty eyes. So, did this confirm the fact that Eli was gay and that it wasn't just an assumption by the bullies at school? Why did Drew even care about that to begin with? And how would he go about speaking to this guy at school the next day, if the guy was hitting on him?

He couldn't even focus on the fact that his step-mother had decided to ground him for the next six weeks as he predicted. Still, there were so many questions running through Drew's mind but the biggest one of all was one that would have to be answered over time. And that was, why did he like the compliment Eli had given him so much?


	2. The Start of the Worst Day Ever (Part 1)

**A/N: This is where I introduce two more new main characters to the story. Remember, their personalities are slightly different because this story is - in fact - AU. I will add a few canon references here and there, though. Enjoy! ^_^ !Trigger Warning: if you're squeamish, don't read the end. It mentions a character getting sick to his stomach, etc.!**

* * *

"You just wait until your father gets home, Andrew!" Audra exclaimed angrily as she stormed off into the kitchen to prepare dinner for that evening. Drew rolled his eyes as he took off upstairs towards his bedroom; noticing that Gracie was already in there doing something but he wasn't entirely sure what. Drew poked his head in the door as his younger step-sister slipped on one of his t-shirts as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, hi..." She muttered, noticing that Drew was standing there behind her just a few feet away like it was no big deal. Drew raised an eyebrow as he realized just how strange his sister's behavior had become over the last few weeks.

"Why are you trying on my shirt?" Drew questioned, sounding more curious than concerned. "You're not exactly the butch type... or _are you_?" He added with a chuckle, Gracie immediately turned red in the face from embarrassment before she punched her older step-brother in the shoulder.

"Shut up! Mom might hear you then my secret will be out and we'll have to put up with her running her mouth. I could get kicked out of here, Drew!" Gracie exclaimed, wide eyed and still slightly pink from blushing so hard.

"Audra is downstairs in the kitchen, she can't hear us! Chill," Drew retorted, furrowing his brow.

Gracie sighed quietly then turned back to face Drew again. "Do you have a pair of shorts I could wear? You know like the ones you wear to basketball practice or to the gym?" She asked, biting her lip softly.

* * *

Once Gracie was changed into Drew's clothes to get a little more comfortable, she followed him downstairs to the den. The loose fitting t-shirt and the loose fitting shorts felt so much better against her skin. There was something about tighter clothes, which she wore on almost a daily basis, that made her feel like she was going to smother to death before the day's end. Drew looked a little more than exhausted after dealing with the principal getting on his case followed by an almost hour long rant from their mother. However, Gracie thought that Drew deserved it. He was, after all, in a ton of trouble for fighting at school that day.

"So, how long are you grounded for?" Gracie questioned as she sat down on the couch next to Drew, giving him a curious look as she spoke. Drew groaned then leaned his head back on the couch cushion, closing his eyes briefly as he thought about the punishment.

"A few weeks, just like I guessed it would be." Drew muttered, pulling his legs up onto the couch as he wrapped his arms around them. "And who was that chick you were talking to before we left school?" he added, furrowing his brow as he changed the topic.

"Clare Edwards," Gracie replied, a small smirk creeping onto her face as she replied to Drew's question.

"Oh..._I get it_," Drew replied with a sheepish grin. He could tell that Gracie was really into this girl because of the look she had on her face since the two spoke.

"She's pretty, yeah?" the younger Torres asked, Drew nodded his head in approval.

"Is she...?" Drew asked, Gracie shrugged her shoulders as her eyes widened. She didn't have a clue what Clare's sexuality was; Gracie just knew that she liked her and wanted to get to know her more.

"I don't know," the blue eyed girl stated. Even to Gracie, the whole lesbian label didn't make sense to her though that was what she had originally came out to Drew as. She just didn't feel gay but at the same time she knew she would never, ever be interested in guys. "Wait, who was that guy you were talking to?" Gracie questioned, Drew had to think for a moment to remember the guy's name since his mind was in a fog after the little compliment he had received earlier that day.

"Um...Eli? I think? I can't remember his last name, though." The older Torres answered, thinking about how the green eyed boy looked at him before he had to leave school. "I met him after I stopped these two bullies from beating him up. They were bullying him because he's gay apparently," Drew carried on, his eyes glancing randomly to another part of the room. That way he wouldn't have to keep focus on Gracie.

"How can you be so sure?" Gracie questioned, her eyes focusing intensely on her older step-brother. Drew shrugged slightly then sighed quietly.

"I'm not but he told me I have pretty eyes. And...I can't stop thinking about that," Drew spoke softly, he couldn't believe he actually admitted something like that. Then again, Gracie knew her older step-brother was more open-minded than most people they had known in the past.

* * *

The next day, Eli found himself more excited than usual to get ready for school. Though he had detention all day and he was set to come home to clean the house once school was over, he couldn't wait to see Drew. He was still thankful for the boy's actions the day before. Without Drew stepping in, he knew he would have been seriously injured by the time that fight was over. Especially since fighting back physically wasn't his strongest point. Once he got dressed, ate breakfast, then grabbed his things - he was out the door and headed for Degrassi.

Once he was parked, Eli stood patiently by his black hearse as he looked around for the silver van which Drew's mother had driven the day before. Soon enough, he was snapped out of his slight daze as he heard Drew's mother's shrill voice shouting at him to behave himself.

"I SAID BYE!" Drew exclaimed angrily as he stormed off to attempt to hide from his step-mother, he could feel the anger boiling in his blood as he watched the van drive off. Drew then took a look around as he noticed some people were watching him, making snide remarks, and laughing to themselves due to the humiliating situation.

Slowly, Eli approached the other boy from behind. They still had a few minutes before their day in detention began and Eli wanted to talk to Drew to see how he was. "Hey...Drew?" Eli greeted quietly, sounding more happy than he probably should have for the time being. Drew stopped in his tracks, it was the boy from yesterday - the one that got him in trouble then told him he had pretty eyes. The latter, he had no idea how to respond to or even think of given the situation at hand.

"Um, hi." Drew greeted, he didn't know what else to say at that point.

"So, how much trouble are you in?" Eli questioned, his emerald hues glancing up at Drew as the two locked eyes. Drew quickly looked away before scratching at the back of his neck sheepishly.

"A lot. Then again, Audra can be a real pain in the ass when it comes to laying down the law in the Torres home. It's not like she's my real mother or anything," Drew admitted, furrowing his brow as he spoke. Already he was in a terrible mood but at least this new friend he had made was making things better.

"Excuse me, boys, aren't you supposed to be heading to detention right now? You should go to your lockers and get your things together." Coach Armstrong stated, ending the short lived conversation between the two. Drew nodded, Eli took the opportunity to glance back and forth between both his friend and the teacher standing next to them.

"Yeah, sorry." Eli replied, looking down at his feet for a moment as Coach Armstrong continued.

"Both of you have a lot of work to do and don't expect this to be fun. This isn't a television show, boys, it's real life. You won't be able to act like hooligans during today's detention." Armstrong carried on, Eli subtly rolled his eyes as he looked down at the ground so that the teacher couldn't see his reaction. "Get to class!" He added.

* * *

After making their way to detention, Eli sat down towards the back of the classroom right behind Drew. Drew couldn't believe this guy was following him around like a lost puppy but at the same time, he actually liked it. It made him at least feel wanted at this school. It wasn't long until he noticed a curly, thick haired brunette checking him out from across the room as the blonde boy behind her pulled out one of his worksheets to finish. "Hey, aren't you that new kid that got in a fight yesterday?" She questioned, her eyes switching focus to her nail file in front of her.

"I am, why?" Drew answered, his tone laced with curiosity as he spoke.

"Oh no reason.. you're just sort of hot, is all." The girl replied, a smirk then forming on her lips as Eli scoffed while listening to the conversation. "Is there a problem, Doctor Doom?" She then proceeded to ask as her tone changed from coy to aggravated.

"Shouldn't you be skipping class to steal a pregnancy test somewhere, Bianca?" Eli retorted, glaring at the girl.

"What the hell did you just say to me you little twerp?" She exclaimed, the blonde guy behind her then tapped her on the shoulder.

"Don't get us into any more trouble, Bianca. After last night and this morning I can't take much more." He stated, immediately the girl calmed down then put her nail file away.

"Fine." She muttered, sounding a little less than annoyed at his words.

"Who are you guys, anyway?" Drew asked, wide-eyed as he looked at the other two students sitting in the row across from him and Eli. He especially wanted to know who the blonde guy was since he seemed so withdrawn for the time being.

"I'm KC Guthrie and this is Bianca DeSousa," KC spoke up, he seemed to be more laid back now that he was talking to the other two a little more. Bianca, however, she was still putting up a front of being this tough, no nonsense type of girl. It annoyed Drew just a little because she almost reminded him of his step-mother in some ways. Maybe it was her bad attitude.

"Also known as the school trash," Eli stated, Drew glared at the other boy which immediately shut him up.

"Dude, stop hating on people! I've barely met them. It's like you don't want me to make friends other than you. Stop, please!" Drew exclaimed.

"Oh...sorry," Eli muttered. KC then raised his eyebrow, realizing Drew had actually shut this kid up and didn't get a smart-ass response from him.

"Looks like emo boy finally shut his mouth!" Bianca stated, her tone sounding very unfriendly before she looked back to Drew.

"What are you two in here for?" The older Torres questioned as he leaned back against the metal bar which held the desk and chair together.

"Found out my girlfriend, Jenna, is pregnant so I went out on an all night bender last night with Bianca. Ended up staying out all night and I guess I'm still slightly tipsy or something. Simpson picked up on it right away, though, and now here I am." KC stated bitterly. The reality of the situation that he was going to be a father had set in a little too hard. He was still emotionally detached from the situation but he had a feeling that his future was now in shambles. "There goes my dreams of going off to Uni."

"Sucks, bro. Sorry to hear that," Drew replied.

"Yeah, save it." KC muttered, laying his head down on the desk as his hangover began to sink in. He hadn't felt this bad in a long time, possibly never.

"I think the reason why they found out we had been out drinking before school was because this genius next to me fell out of my car as soon as he opened the door," Bianca commented, giving KC a look as the boy raised his eyebrows.

"Hey, I'm not the one that came up with the idea of an all night bender..." KC retorted.

"Yeah, yeah." Bianca rolled her eyes. A moment or so later, Coach Armstrong had arrived with all the work for his students that were in detention that day. He handed the papers out to the students sitting in his classroom.

"I expect complete silence out of all of you. Not a word until lunch time. You will then have an hour to take a break and socialize with your friends but once you're back in here - you're still on punishment. You will all each get three restroom breaks today so use them wisely. Any questions?" Coach Armstrong stated, glancing around the room as KC's face began to pale.

"Yeah can I go to the washro-" before he could finish his sentence KC got up then ran to the trashcan in the corner of the room, emptying the bitter contents from his stomach with a loud gagging noise interrupting his speech.

As soon as he was done, Coach Armstrong crossed his arms over his chest then rolled his eyes. "Take the pass with you and hurry back."


	3. New Friends and Possiblities (Part 2)

**A/N: Part two to chapter two! Enjoy!**

* * *

By the time everyone was ready for lunch; Drew was completely miserable. He was feeling very conflicted inside, he wanted to like the people surrounding him but they were all so different from his friends back home in Ottawa. Drew had sworn to himself that he was actually going to make a name for himself in the same way he had back at his old high school. However, from the looks of it he was surrounded by a bunch of rejects. Did he mind? A little but at the same time he was growing to like KC and Eli.

"So, Simpson said I couldn't leave school because he knew the reason why I was sick was because I had a hangover. Not because I was coming down with something," KC commented as he took a seat at the lunch table. Drew furrowed his brow as an unfamiliar blonde chick approached the other boy from behind. "This blows."

"Where the hell were you last night?" The blonde exclaimed, Bianca immediately rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her chicken sandwich. The other girl proceeded to sit down next to KC; Drew automatically knew that was who KC had spoken about. That had to be Jenna. "And what are you staring at?" She continued, looking over to Drew.

"A really loud pissed off blonde?" Drew retorted, earning a smirk from both Bianca and Eli.

"Dude, don't." KC warned, rubbing at his temple as the girl started to nag him about the night before.

* * *

Meanwhile Drew turned his attention to Eli. Eli hadn't bothered to try to speak to him since Drew called him down a few hours before. Though, the older Torres wasn't fond of Eli's negativity and hatred for others, he still liked the fact that the smaller boy was seemingly attached to him already.

"Are you mad at me now?" Drew questioned, keeping his voice low as Eli ate another cheese stick. Eli shrugged, as he managed to keep his eyes focused elsewhere.

"I don't know, Drew. You were kind of snappy earlier and I'm just trying to show you who you shouldn't befriend but I guess I'm too late, eh?" Eli replied sheepishly, his tone completely dry and void of all emotion as he spoke. Though it was evident to anyone else that Eli was simply hurt.

"What makes _you_ so much better than_ them_?" Drew questioned, the annoyed tone in his voice was evident as he spoke.

"Well, unlike Bianca I don't take people to the boiler room to have sex with them while I should be in class. Oh and I don't get girls pregnant, either, like KC then go out on an all night bender to try to forget my problems. I face my issues head on," Eli retorted, he then grew silent as he let his words sink in as Drew listened. Drew's icy blue eyes narrowed as he thought about what had been said.

"Why do you even care who I'm friends with...why do you care so much about me?" The older Torres asked, seeing as how Eli was stuck to him like glue even though the other didn't want to admit that to anyone.

Eli hesitated. He didn't want the other to know how he was feeling but at the same time, he knew that Drew deserved honesty. "You're the only person that has been decent to me since I arrived at this hell hole last year," Eli admitted, his tone blunt while his words were honest.

"I guess I wanted to keep you safe from harm, too, since there are several people at this school affiliated with dangerous gangs. People you've already met," Eli commented, glancing over to Bianca then across the room to Fitz.

"He's not lying," Bianca admitted, sighing softly as she made a face at the orange Jello cup sitting on her tray. "Hey, Eli, I'll trade you this Jello for that vanilla pudding?" She offered, holding the Jello out to him. The two traded quickly before Eli went back to his conversation.

"Still, Drew, you have a lot to learn about this school and if you'll stick by me maybe I can help you. How's that?" He offered, Drew nodded his head.

"Yeah, alright. Fair enough."

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of the cafeteria, Gracie was sitting with Clare enjoying her lunch break as she got to know her new friend. Gracie had also been joined by two other students at the table, Alli Bhandari and Connor Deslaurier, whom she had never met before. "So, tell us about you Gracie. What are your hobbies and interests?" Connor asked, Clare chuckled a little since her friend sounded more like he was interviewing the poor girl rather than trying to befriend her.

"Um, well, I have been playing music since I was little - mostly guitar, bass guitar, and piano. I like video games and sports a lot. I play basketball and roller hockey with my step-brother, Drew, a lot." Gracie replied, immediately getting a reaction out of Alli.

"Wait...Drew Torres is your stepbrother? The really, really hot guy that got into a fight yesterday?" Alli question, her tone making her sound as if she was totally intrigued and interested in Drew. Gracie nodded her head then sighed.

"Yeah, that's him." She replied, looking over her shoulder to try to spot him in the caf. However, he wasn't anywhere near by that she could see.

"Sounds like Alli has a crush," Clare teased with a quiet laugh, Alli blushed then nodded.

"Well... he is a hottie. I won't deny that!" Alli replied. Connor sighed, rolling his eyes at the reaction of the girls around him. Sometimes he wished he had more male friends to hang out with; at least then he wouldn't have to be smothered in so much estrogen all the time.

"I could um...try to play matchmaker or something if you want?" Gracie offered, immediately regretting it as she spoke the words because she was never the best matchmaker. In fact, it seemed like a really corny idea to her but if it would help her befriend this Alli girl then she knew she had to do something.

"WOULD YOU?" Alli beamed. "Okay, yeah, I would love that! Give it a shot!" She added.

"Alright, I'll try but I can't make any promises. He's a ladies man but he rarely dates, he's weird like that." Gracie spoke softly.


	4. Keeping Secrets

"Oh, great," Drew muttered to himself as he pulled out a sheet of paper detailing three different possible project assignments he could do for his history class. The first was to write a five thousand word essay about a historical figure of his choice, the second was to create a diorama of a historical scene, and the last was to map a world empire. It would count as fifty percent of his final grade. Drew rubbed his temple gently as he leaned against the car door of the van. "So, mom, are you going to let me use the internet when we get home?" Drew questioned.

"What for?" Audra asked. "You know you can't use it, the Xbox, or your cellphone. Is this for school?" She added.

"Yeah, I have a huge project to do. I have to profile a historical figure in my own words and I need to do research," Drew admitted. "So, can I please?" Drew pleaded.

"Fine. You can but no more than forty-five minutes a day to do strictly homework. I will be putting parental controls on the computer to make sure you're not looking at anything else during that time. I'll set a time limit as well so the computer will shut off automatically," Audra stated. Drew hated how his step-mother was such a tiger mom sometimes. He couldn't stand it and he was sure that she knew.

* * *

Minutes later, Drew was at home and Audra had set parental controls on all the computers so they would shut off and all history from that day on would be logged. He sighed softly, opening his laptop as he turned it on and waited for it to load. As soon as the computer booted, he opened his browser then quickly opened his history tab to clear the cache, but just then his eyes widened as he realized something was up. Someone had been looking at the internet and searching about sexuality issues and his mind went straight to Gracie.

That was when he noticed a site about "FTMs" on his history. Luckily for him, he had realized Audra's password for the controls was actually her cellphone number. He had realized that months ago when he was grounded for a weekend. Drew opened the controls, typed in the numbers, then disabled the controls for ten minutes as he took his time to look into what an FTM was exactly. It worried him that his step-sister was keeping secrets from him again.

Once the controls were set to not record his history, he reopened the browser and went straight to the information page Gracie had been to, and what he saw was completely mind blowing. "A female to male trans* person is a person that was born female but identifies as male. While some wish to change their bodies entirely others do not wish to seek out this change." Drew read, as he continued to read about transgender and transsexual FTMs, his world felt like it had come to a complete stop.

"Oh no," He thought aloud, his eyes began to tear up because he knew something was off about his step-sister but he just wasn't sure what. Now that he knew, he was crushed that Gracie could keep quiet about something so serious but - at the same time - it was like he understood completely. Audra, after all, was such a pain sometimes that he knew she wouldn't be accepting to something like this.

Drew quickly cleaned out the history from the past few days and then turned the parental controls back on. He began to do his homework and finished two pages worth of his project before shutting the computer off.

Once Drew was finished, he walked out of his room with his eyes fighting back tears as he walked down the hall to Gracie's room. "Gracie, open up!" Drew spoke up, knocking on the door to her room.

"It's open," Gracie replied, laying her laptop aside as she looked at her step-brother once he entered the room. His eyes were red, puffy, and she knew right then that he had been crying for whatever reason. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"I thought... I thought you weren't keeping secrets from me anymore, Grace?" He spoke softly, sitting down on the bed next to her. Gracie's stomach felt like it had just dropped out of her body, down onto really hard concrete. "You...you were reading about transgender people and posting on FTM message boards? What's going on?" He added.

"Oh my God..." Gracie muttered. "I can't believe you found my history. Drew, you can't tell mom okay? Please don't tell her or your dad," She added frantically, her hands growing cold from anxiety as it took over her body. Her hands started to shake as well as she became more nervous. "I'm begging you, don't tell them. They can't know!" She pleaded.

"This is something I can't keep from them for long so you need to find a way to come up with a way to tell them. Even if they're not accepting at first, they'll come around." Drew reassured her, at least he hoped they would because he knew he loved Gracie no matter what. "So...are you really an FTM?" Drew added, feeling a tear roll down his cheek as he quickly wiped it away.

Gracie nodded. "It is the only thing that makes sense. You know I hate wearing make up and that I'm just like you and your guy friends," She reasoned. "I have always felt like a boy, Drew. When I was little I would ask God to turn me into a boy physically and though he never did - I never changed. I've always thought I was one. I just... I couldn't put a name to it when I came out to you and so I told you I was a lesbian. I don't feel like one though; I feel like a straight boy. There's a difference there," Gracie stated.

Suddenly it made sense. Every day when they would come home from school Gracie would put on a more looser fitting shirt, loose shorts, and just hang out in what some people would think of as gym clothes. "It seems very superficial though. The fact that you have interests that guys have, wear tomboyish clothes, and have short hair. How do you really know you're a boy inside?" He questioned.

"Go close the door, Drew." Gracie stated. "And lock it, please, because I need to show you something so you will know how serious I am." Gracie continued. Drew stood up then walked to the door, shutting it quietly before twisting the small silver lock, as he then turned back to his younger step-sibling. He watched as Gracie removed her shirt, her torso across her ribcage on upwards to her chest as well as upper arms were covered in scars, cuts, and what appeared to be burns.

Drew's eyes widened as he realized Gracie had been harming herself. "I...when I look at myself in the mirror I see someone that is a stranger. I don't see who I am on the inside but instead this girl staring back at me. I hate my body so much, Drew, and that's why I have been hurting myself for awhile. I've kept this a secret for so long. I wish I could just... cut off my boobs." She admitted tearfully.

Drew walked over to Gracie and placed his arms around her gently. "Have you...thought of a name I could maybe call you?" Drew asked, knowing that he needed to help Gracie the best way he could. Even if it meant adjusting to using male pronouns and a different name when he spoke to his younger sibling while they were alone. Gracie looked up into Drew's pale blue eyes then smiled through the tears streaming down her face. In the blink of an eye, to Drew, Gracie was no more.

"Drew... call me Adam. After my dad."

Drew nodded and smiled softly. "Hello, Adam." He greeted before thinking about how his younger brother would want to wear more of his clothes. "How would you like to pick out some of my clothes? You're going to need them, you know." He added.

"I would like that a lot."Adam responded with a small smile as he wiped at his eyes.

The eye contact between the two brothers continued for a moment and he gave Adam a look as if to say "Your secret is safe with me." before motioning for him to follow Drew out of the room.


End file.
